Persistence isn’t sexy. It’s not often valued these days. And it’s hard. I am writing this on a Tuesday morning, after January weeks spent writing my book, attending family get togethers, catching up with friends, some excellent Sydney Festival events, preparing for an upcoming trip and dealing with home administrivia. And now it’s Tuesday, and I […]
A number of years ago I had the privilege of interviewing one of the world’s top neuropsychologists (currently Clinical Professor of Neurology at New York University School of Medicine) Elkhonon Golberg. I was interviewing him for the Australian Financial Review about age-proofing the brain and staving off dementia, as well as maximising the brain’s capacity for creative […]
I’m busy working on my new book at the moment, on the new retirement. One of the core underpinnings of the changes in life stages, including retirement, is the 30 years that has been added to the life course in the last century, and the impact of this on the traditional life course. Here’s how […]
Every time I visit Melbourne’s MoVida tapas bar, the experience reminds me of some great business advice – find what you do really well and focus on improving it, becoming expert at it and making your career revolve around it. Play with it, add to it, improvise and have fun, but stick to a core […]
I had a client a while ago who was struggling to get clear on a new direction for her life. We had done a number of exercises, discussed options and played with possibilities, but she was still stuck. I suggested to her that she try to do a collage, finding and arranging images and words […]
To some extent at least, we can act as if age is a mindset. Do you know about Ellen Langer’s brilliant experiment in the 1970s? She took some people in their 70s to a secluded spot (for a research project, not a kidnapping…). It was a bit like a big cabin in the woods. The […]
As you read this, I will be adjusting to real life and work after a holiday in New Zealand. And fantasising about taking a break in late December, taking time to chill out and relax again. But if you’re stressed and holidays are far away, saying ‘just relax’ is about as useful as ‘don’t worry, […]
I am writing a new book, on the keys to the new retirement. When the Commonwealth introduced the first old-age pension in 1908, only for men over 65, less than 4% of the male population reached that threshold. If you retired at all, it was to spend a few years pottering around before decline and […]
Over the years, I’ve been a fan of the Happiness Conference (described by a colleague of mine as ‘that happy clappy thing’, but pretty excellent nonetheless…). Lots of great speakers, fascinating data, and enough mind food to last me quite some time. One of my favourite speakers a few years ago was Dr Adam Fraser, who spoke about what he […]
Don’t worry, the title of this post doesn’t mean you have to tap into your inner Roman soldier, or the time you were a member of the Versailles court. It is all about this present life, and the clues you can find by thinking about the things you loved to do when you were a child. While […]